On Giving Thanksgiving

Did you ever have one of those days in which everything seemed to be absolutely perfect? You know the days I'm talking about, when you think to yourself, "Damn...this day couldn't be any better!"

Well, last week I had one of those days.

The second I stepped foot out the front door of my apartment building, I could tell that it was going be a very special day. First of all, the temperature was absolutely gorgeous (a cool and comfortable 57 degrees), the sky was solid blue without a single cloud blocking the bright, warm sunshine. It was the epitome of a flawless Autumn day.
On my days off, I try to spend the first part of the day sitting in the park while enjoying nature because it always seems to decompress any built up tension I may have accumulated throughout the week. It also clears my mind and grounds me. As I've shared with you in countless posts from the past, nature seems to cure anything that ails me.

I don't know, maybe it's because Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Or maybe it's because I'm especially partial to the season of Autumn, but on that day I felt an overwhelming feeling of gratitude, to the point of it causing my heart to swell and my eyes to fill with tears. All I kept thinking and saying to myself over and over again as I looked at the beauty that surrounded me was, "I am so grateful for this day and for all my senses to enjoy it....thank you, thank you, thank you!"

I can truthfully say that I'm a grateful person, I am consciously aware of the many things in my life that I am blessed with. However, when Autumn rolls around my gratitude seems to expand. Autumn is a time of the year when I'm especially aware of all my senses because they become more acute. I literally feel as though I can see better, smell better, taste better, hear better and feel better in Autumn.

My heart even feels better...and bigger. And maybe that's because I'm more grateful. Perhaps gratitude creates more gratitude, which expands the heart.

All I know is that on that day, I did not want to come inside. I wanted nothing more than to spend the entire day outside being grateful; enjoying nature in its most beautiful form....Autumn.

So that's exactly what I did.

Please enjoy these pictures of that day...

One of my very favorite things to do in Autumn is to walk through fallen leaves. I love the sound they make...

26 comments

Touchingly beautiful post, Ron! Your pictures are beautiful as well. Don't you love this time of the year? I think you're right about gratitude, the more aware we are of the things we have to be grateful for the more gratitude it creates.

You've so beautifully described how I feel on certain perfect days! Especially during autumn. There is something so special about the leaves and their colours. Your photos are stunning - making my heart swell once again!

I teared up reading this, Ron. You have such a talent for describing things and feelings as they really are. Yes, autumn is indeed a fabulous part of the year, so beautiful, although I am cursing the million leaves that fall onto my lawn AFTER the gardener has finished work for the year. Autumn brings memories for me, some good, some not so good, but it's good to reflect and maybe to adjust the inner feelings.

Happy thanksgiving. As you know, we don't have an official day on which to give thanks but it doesn't stop us from doing it anyway.

You sure have a way with words, my friend! Love that you make us feel like we are sitting beside you on the bench in the park...listening to nature and feeling the sun on our faces. I agree with you, autumn is such a special time of reflection...and one I wish could last longer. In fact, I'd be ok with it lasting all the way til Spring and just skipping winter all together! Happy, Happy Thanksgiving Ron...and thank you for another wonderful year of your amazing writings. So many days, you have MADE my day. All the best to you! xo Jeanne and the girls

Ron, I have chime in with what others said, I teared up reading this post. You really have a way with words that touched my heart. Gorgeous photographs! You really captured the vibrant color and beauty of this season. I love that picture of the houses along the small cobblestone street, what a charming area! Where is that?

This is one heck of a Thanksgiving post, Ron! I love all the pictures (can I live in the second one?) but your words are so meaningful. I felt that way last Friday. If was 70 degrees and just magnificent outside. I did a four mile walk with a friend, came home and cut the grass and then just sat on my front stoop and soaked up the feel of autumn. Then we went to happy hour at a bar near our house and sat on the patio. I just didn't want the day to end.

Thanks so much for your expression of gratitude, Ron. I appreciate you and am thankful for your friendship! XO

Ron, you're having such a beautiful Autumn there -- and I'm glad you posted these lovely photos for us all to enjoy. Why, I can almost feel the splendor, just looking at them!

You know, I'm very much like you in how I love Autumn. You said it so well -- "I literally feel as though I can see better, smell better, taste better, hear better and feel better in Autumn." Me, too! And yes, I practice gratitude every day. It's just so much more peaceful to be grateful than it is to find things to grouse about!! Into every life bad things can happen, but if we'll focus on the GOOD, then we'll see how much we have to be thankful for!

The photos were excellent, as usual, and your commentary was so touching.

It's so important to be grateful for what we have and your message is particularly poignant at this special time of the year. I once read a quote by some yoga master who said you should say three things the moment you wake up every morning: "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

I try to do that every day and your post really underscores that most important message.

Thank you :) The day this happened to me I tried to keep the feelings that I felt fresh in my mind because I knew I wanted to share a post about Thanksgiving and thought that this particular day would be perfect because I felt sooooo grateful!

"Autumn brings memories for me, some good, some not so good, but it's good to reflect and maybe to adjust the inner feelings."

Yes, and I can totally understand why you have "not so good" memories of Autumn because of what you went through with the fire; therefore I know this time must be very bittersweet for you. I also kind of feel the same way because of what I went through last Autumn and spent two weeks in a hospital when I got very sick. Yet I survived, so in many ways I feel immensely grateful that a year later, I'm now well and healthy.

"As you know, we don't have an official day on which to give thanks but it doesn't stop us from doing it anyway."

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, MY FRIEND! And thanks so much for being in my life!

Thank you :) On the day I speak of in this post, I wanted very much to engrave the feelings I felt because I wanted to post about it and thought that it would be a perfect Thanksgiving Day post because I felt sooooooooo grateful!

"I agree with you, autumn is such a special time of reflection...and one I wish could last longer. "

OMG, meeeeeeee too! And that's why I try to savory every second and last minute of it. I LOVE Autumn!!!!

I know like you, many people are not fans of Winter because of the cold and snow, but I love it. I know this sounds strange but Autumn and Winter are my favorite seasons.

Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet, kind words, my friend. Ditto to you! Thanks for another year blogging with you! Can you believe we've been blogging together for like SIX years?!?!?

Wishing, you, your hubby, your family and the girlz, a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Thank you :) When I sat down to write this post yesterday, the memories and feelings of the day I speak of came back to me very clearly. I sat down and wrote this post in one sitting (which is not usual for me) and it just flowed.

" I love that picture of the quaint row homes along the small cobblestone street, what a charming area! Where is that?"

Isn't that a faaaaaaabulous little street? It's a street not far from my apartment. It's one of those older, vintage Philadelphia neighborhoods, which I love!

Thanks so much for stopping by, neighbor! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your husband!

X

P.S. Yes, I went to Trader Joe's tonight after work and got my Turkey dinner stuff to eat on Thanksgiving day. Tomorrow I'll be picking up the pumpkin pie because I love eat it on Thanksgiving!!!!

Aw...thanks so much for your sweet, sweet words, my friend. And ditto back to you! I appreciate and thankful for you friendship over these many, many years!

" I love all the pictures (can I live in the second one?)..."

HA! I know, isn't that picture of those adorable row homes so cozy and inviting? I love that area of Philly because it's so beautifully vintage. It's a neighborhood not far from my apartment.

"I felt that way last Friday. If was 70 degrees and just magnificent outside. I did a four mile walk with a friend, came home and cut the grass and then just sat on my front stoop and soaked up the feel of autumn. Then we went to happy hour at a bar near our house and sat on the patio. I just didn't want the day to end."

Sounds like an AWESOME day! And very much how I felt on this day! Don't ya just LOVE days like that?

Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend. Wishing you and your family a VERY Happy Thanksgiving Day!!!!!

Aw...thank you, my friend! I feel so grateful for the beautiful Autumn we've had here so far. It's been picture perfect. Often times living in a city, you don't get those incredibly bright and colorful Autumns that you get experience further out in the suburbs because it's not as cold in the city as it is out there. Therefore, the leaves are not as bright and vivacious as further out in the country.

Don't ya just feel exceptionally faaaabulous during the season of Autumn?

"And yes, I practice gratitude every day. It's just so much more peaceful to be grateful than it is to find things to grouse about!! Into every life bad things can happen, but if we'll focus on the GOOD, then we'll see how much we have to be thankful for!"

I love how you said that and yes, I feel the exact same way. There will always be bad/challenging things that happen to all of us in out lifetime, but focusing on the good (which is not always easy at times) seems to change our focus on the things we DO have that are good.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY to you, Domer and Dallas! And thank you for being such a dear friend!

Thank you, buddy :) There is something about this time of the year that makes me so much more aware of the many things in my life to be grateful for. Even the things that seem to be negatives always seem to have a positive outcome, so I'm grateful for those things as well.

" I once read a quote by some yoga master who said you should say three things the moment you wake up every morning: "Thank you, thank you, thank you!""

I freaking LOVE that, and thanks so much for sharing it! Feeling gratitude during the challenging times of life can be, well, challenging. Yet, it's ironic how when I look back on those times, I in fact, DID have things to be grateful for.

"when Autumn rolls around my gratitude seems to expand. Autumn is a time of the year when I'm especially aware of all my senses because they become more acute. I literally feel as though I can see better, smell better, taste better, hear better and feel better in Autumn."

Ron, you so perfectly put into words exactly how I feel about Autumn! And it's the season I miss the most being from the North East and now living in Florida. Nothing compares to the Autumns in the states along the North East coast. The BEST!

Beautiful photographs! And like Bijoux said, can I live in the second one? What an adorable street!

Happy Thanksgiving, Ron. And thank you for your blog and all that you share. I'm so glad we met online! X

"My heart even feels better...and bigger. And maybe that's because I'm more grateful. Perhaps gratitude creates more gratitude, which expands the heart." Ron, I love how you expressed that because I've never thought about gratitude in that way but you're right. When we focus our attention on gratitude, we see MORE gratitude.

Yes, that's it! And it's not always easy to do that whenever things are not going well in our lives or when things are challenging. Yet it's ironic how when I change my focus onto things I DO have in my life that are awesome, I feel better!

Thanks so much for stopping by and for being here over these past four years! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your girlfriend!

Beautiful autumnal photos.Even though I prefer the weather of spring and summer, I do adore the crispness and colors of fall. The trees can be breath-taking this time of year and I've been watching our enormous oak tree out back slowly turn a warm red.